Nextek Power Systems: Technology You Can Bank On

January 07, 2013 01:18 PM Eastern Time

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When PNC Financial decided to push farther than the LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for their model
net-zero energy branch in Fort Lauderdale, the goal was high: 50% energy
savings and the same or better comfort for staff and customers as
compared to PNC’s 2500+ branches.

“In today’s competitive marketplace it is not enough to install
solar panels on the roof and put a plaque on the door announcing you’re
sustainable. Thoughtful design that reduces the building’s power
requirement first is what’s needed, and that’s what PNC is doing.”

Thanks to solar panels on the roof and walkways, the building actually
generates more electricity than it uses, sending the surplus to the
grid. Sending excess power back to the grid is possible thanks to
careful design and planning the company carried out with its architect,
Gensler and green building consultants CJL Engineering and Paladino &
Company.

PNC Financial specified a direct current (dc) power system from Nextek
Power Systems to significantly increase the efficiency of their lighting
system and its use of renewable energy generated at the building site.
Nextek’s innovative Direct Coupling® platform eliminates
wasteful power conversions inherent in conventional systems. "This is
another example of PNC's commitment to innovation and energy
efficiency," said Gary Saulson , PNC's director of Corporate Real
Estate. "We expect the net-zero energy branch to spur business growth
and development in the area. Ultimately, we hope it will inspire other
businesses to adopt similar green building practices."

Most of the lighting in this PNC Bank branch is connected to the Nextek
patented dc microgrid that uses the solar power before
it gets converted into grid-compatible ac power. This allows the power
generated at the site to be used avoiding two conversions: one from dc
(solar) to ac (the grid), as well as from ac (the grid) back to dc (the
electronic light fixture) amounting to a large integrated efficiency
improvement. When the sun’s not shining, the dc microgrid powers itself
by converting the grid power into dc at higher efficiency than any
single device can accomplish affordably on its own. For more, see the
video AC
or DC Power?

Nextek CEO Paul Savage says PNC Financial’s use of dc microgrid
technology represents a growing trend in net-zero energy building
design. “In today’s competitive marketplace it is not enough to install
solar panels on the roof and put a plaque on the door announcing you’re
sustainable. Thoughtful design that reduces the building’s power
requirement first is what’s needed, and that’s what PNC is doing.” By
connecting the clean dc power generated by the sun to dc consuming
lighting inside the building, and adding daylight harvesting and other
control strategies, the branch’s lighting will consume 70% less power
from the grid.

Nextek Power Systems, Inc. is a founding governing member of a broad
business alliance dedicated to the adoption of DC power systems (www.emergealliance.org).

PNC Bank is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (www.pnc.com).
PNC (NYSE:PNC) is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial
services organizations providing retail and business banking;
residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and
government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance
and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. Follow
@PNCNews on Twitter for breaking news, updates and announcements from
PNC.

Nextek Power Systems is a pioneer in the invention, design and
sales of Direct Coupling® power systems for buildings. These
dc microgrids minimize the consumption of grid power, and provide an
optimized path for distributed renewable resources like solar PV to do
more work. Efficient, flexible and reliable, Nextek Power Systems are
saving money for diverse customers around the world. Find out more at nextekpower.com.